IT S TIME TO PAY YOUR DUES USE FORM ON WEBSITE OR PG 9

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1 The Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 04, 2012, 5:30 p.m. Invited Speaker Sam Root In his youth, Sam was an avid fisherman in the state of Virginia. Limited to fresh water species, he dreamt of catching the saltwater fish seen on Florida-based TV programs. When he was a teenager, his family moved Tampa to pursue a business venture and bought a house on the canal on Bay Villa Ave. This was a dream come true and Sam s obsession with saltwater fishing began. The fishing obsession got shelved by adult responsibilities, but eventually he began to participate in the forum of the Captain Mel Berman radio show, and was one of the first forum posters to add digital photos to all his fishing reports. Later, inspired by the photography of Shane Edgar and David McCleaf, he took up photography in earnest, which also re-energized his interest in fishing. Sam is now an accomplished photographer whose works have been published internationally. He s shot covers for Florida Sportsman, Shallow Water Angler, and Saltwater Sportsman, to name a few. Come and learn how to take better photographs on the water. Featured Tyer Bryon Chamberlin Bryon Chamberlin is a full time, saltwater fly fishing guide and operates his own fishing guide service, Barbed Steel Charters, Inc. He has been guiding for 9 years, mainly on the waters of Tampa Bay. He enjoys introducing clients to the wild wonders that Tampa Bay has to offer, both the fish they are trying to catch and beauty of nature surrounding them while pursuing their quarry with a fly rod as well as a camera. Instead of tying a fly, Bryon will demonstrate various knots to build leaders, tippet to bite tippet connections, attach leaders to fly line, and flies to your leader. Most applications will be for saltwater, but most transfer to freshwater fly fishing too. Bonus: While Bryon ties leaders, Jeff Janecek will show how to tie some shad flies, just in time for the annual shad outing to the St. John River. IT S TIME TO PAY YOUR DUES USE FORM ON WEBSITE OR PG 9 Directions to Our Meetings: From I-75---Take Bruce B. Downs exit from I-75; go west 2 miles to traffic light, turn left onto Tampa Palms Blvd., then left on Compton Drive, and right at Compton Park. From I Take Bearss East to Bruce. B. Downs; then Bruce B. Downs east/north to Tampa Palms Blvd. Rt. on Tampa Palms, then left on Compton Drive and right at Compton Park

2 FEBRUARY 2012 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Hello All TBFFC Members, Just a Reminder, Please Pay your Dues, see Rick Valeri at the meeting and turn in your Renewal or New Member Application with your check or cash. The club wants to give a giant Thank You to Greg Stepanski, our January guest speaker. He gave us a wonderful, funny, and informative talk on his outing in western Wyoming hunting elk and fishing for big brown trout. Greg, everyone had a great time!!!!!! We also would like to thank Walt Durkin, and All of the tiers that came out to tie at the meeting, On a gloomy note, we were all very sad to hear of the passing of one of the TBFFC members. Lloyd Bull passed away on 1/19/2012. He will be sorely missed. Leigh West will keep us informed of the upcoming shad outing on the St. Johns River. Sign up at the February meeting (see page 3). March 10th there will be the Capt. Mel Classic. Information is on page 3, below. Our TBFFC main money maker, the annual banquet will be here in March/April. So if you have or know anyone who would like to donate items for our silent auction please let us know. The less the club has to pay out for items, the more the club will have for activities. Also, please try to attend our banquet, as the saying goes the more the merrier. See you in February: lines, Neil Sperling Smooth casting & tight 2 In This Issue: Page Monthly Meeting President s Message TBFFC calendar of events Tips for TBFFC, No Member Photos In Memoriam Lloyd Bull....7 Fly of the Month.8 Catching Report. 8. Membership Application, Guides, Casting Coaches, etc. 9 OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS Interim Presidents (shared) Durkin, Miekka, Sperling Vice President Walt Durkin Treasurer Rick Valeri Directors: Nick Angelo Denise Bruner Bryon Chamberlin Pat Damico Robert Fischer Bob Gaulin Ted Hagaman Jeff Janecek Dick Miekka John Nelson Rick O Hara Neil Sperling Alligator Bob Young The next meeting of the TBFFC Board of Directors will be at 6:00 P.M. on Wednesday, February 8, location TBD. NOT GETTING THE NEWSLETTER? Please call Dick Miekka, Editor, at or to dmiekka@cs.com

3 3 TBFFC EVENTS each division the longest flounder takes that pool money for the entire division (no 2nd or 3rd place) TBFFC MEETING DATES The fly division will be a little different than the rest of the participants. Everyone in the tournament will get a tshirt this year. There will be other perks like a meal provided. For the fishing supplies, the fly contestants will get four total flies supplied to them for use in the competition. Three designs and four total. No one will know what those three patterns will be until they pick up their Angler Bag at the March 9 check-in. Here are the meeting dates for 2012; February 1, March 7, April 4, May 2, June 6, July 4?, August 1, September 5, October 3, November 7, December 5. Please watch this space for any changes. ANNUAL SHAD OUTING WITH CAMPING When: Weekend of February (arrival after 3p.m. on the 17th) Where: St John River for fishing, with camping on private property. This is an annual multi-day event, attended by members of several fishing clubs. Almost everyone who has attended in the past has become addicted! You may attend on just one day if you choose. There will be overnight camping, which is always fun, with great fellowship, fishmanship, and food. There are several restrictions and requirements that must be observed. Leigh West will have details. Sign up at the February meeting or call Leigh West at FUTURE CLUB OUTINGS AND EVENTS 1. Flint Creek has tickets to the April 2012 film tour available for sale. See Capt. John Hand for details. 2. Club Banquet in March or April 3. TBFFC may join SCFF on their annual trip to fish the Everglades in March/April. FLY 2012 CAPT MEL CLASSIC The tournament date is March 10, We would love to have your fly fishing friends involved with the event. As it was with the inaugural tournament, It will benefit charity. It was a great event, especially for those who have never been in a competition before. It is all amateur for a level playing field. 157 people participated last year, a number we expect to rise substantially for this next event. The format for the fly division will be the same as the other divisions. Longest redfish. Longest trout. Grand prize is longest combined inches for one trout and one redfish. There will be a "bonus species" buy in. The entry fee will be $40. The optional species buy-in (flounder) is $5. For.All the info is posted to SUNCOAST FLY FISHERS Regular Meetings: 6:30pm on the Third Thursday of each month, except December, at Walter Fuller Recreation Center, th Ave. N., St. Pete. MANGROVE COAST FLY FISHERS NOTE: Newer Location for MCFF Club meetings Twin Lakes Park. The entrance to Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota is located on Clark Road, just 1/2 mile east of I-75, on the south (right) side of the road. Contact website above for details and directions.

4 4 TIPS FOR TBFFC No. 44 Casting Tip for TBFFC: 27 While fishing recently with Bryon Chamberlin our success was improved by slowly dragging our flies on the bottom in about 6 feet of water away from the shallow grass. Both using full sinking lines, we were plagued with twisting in our lines caused by not casting in the same plane. Using Belgium type casts where a horizontal back cast was followed by a more vertical forward cast allowed us to keep the weighted flies away from our rod tips preventing a rod damaging collision. Bryon suggested a simple tip that Dave Chouinard showed him for getting rid of line twist. Make a forward cast very high in the air and shake the rod tip as the cast unfolds. As the line free-falls to the water it will untwist. Several casts may be needed to get out all twists. If standing in a stream or where there is current, remove your fly and let the line dangle downstream. The pressure of the water against the line will cause it to straighten. Pat Damico, MCI Here is a Line Handling Tip that Most People Don t Think About When fishing in a skiff with the wind blowing, the location of the angler can help reduce the line from blowing out of the skiff and into the water. If I don't have a stripping bucket with me (I hate using them unless I have too), I try to use the cockpit of the skiff as an area to strip my line into in order to keep it from blowing into the water. This helps quite a bit on windy days, but there are times that it is so windy that the stripped line blows out of the skiff as soon as it leaves your hand, never making it to the floor of the cockpit. Sometimes a simple location change of the angler on the forward deck of the skiff will cure the problem. For example, there is a wind blowing right to left across the skiff. Most people stand in the center of the forward casting deck, and in this situation, the line may still blow out of the boat and into the water. For this example, reposition yourself at the right back corner of the casting deck, and that will give you more target area behind you to strip your fly line into the cockpit and not the water...if the wind blows the other way, step to the other side of the casting deck. Pretty simple...to counter the listing of the skiff by adding the weight of the angler on the one side of the boat, have the person poling the skiff stand on the opposite side on the poling platform, or if there is a another passenger, have them sit on the opposite side that the angler is standing on. Now the angler can focus on fishing and not line management. Capt. Bryon Chamberlin

5 5 Member Photos, February 2012 Two great photos from Capt. Bryon Chamberlin: 1st--Greg Peterson hoists an over- the- slot redfish from Chassahowitzka. 2nd--Lynn Skipper with one of 2 redfish hooked on fly. Robert Fischer cradles his once-in-a-lifetime seatrout Here's the heaviest trout I've ever caught; probably 7 or 8 lbs; 25 1/2". Leigh West took me to one of his favorite spots near Double Branch last Saturday. The trout ate a tan and white Puglisi pancake fly tied by Smitty. The trout was released.

6 6. In Memoriam The obituary below was printed on page 8B of the Saturday, January 21, 2012 Tampa Bay Times newspaper. The photo below, from November 2011 by Ted Hagaman, was probably one of the last ever taken of Lloyd doing one of the things he enjoyed the most releasing a fish. And so it falls to us to do one of the things we enjoy the least releasing Lloyd. Frank Rhodes Reports the following: Upon our request ~ Arlene Bull provided the information below for sending contributions honoring Lloyd Bull. Suncoast Hospice, 5771 Roosevelt Boulevard, Clearwater, FL First Presbyterian Church,.7707 N. State Street, Lowville, NY 13367

7 7 PADDLE FISHING WITH A FLY ROD By Capt. Pat Damico At age thirteen, I acquired a used fifteen-foot Grumman Aluminum canoe. During the next twenty years or so I was able to venture into some of the rivers, lakes, and streams of Pennsylvania, New York and even Maine to chase freshwater trout and bass. Alone, or with a friend, this canoe opened many areas of fishing that were otherwise unattainable. Many other boats came and went, but this canoe still was used occasionally to access difficult waterways effectively. When I moved to Florida and purchased a flats boat, the canoe stayed up north and was eventually sold. In the Tampa Bay area, winter brings cold open water temperatures that give snook, one of my favorite fly fishing quarries, lockjaw. A couple of wading experiences in rivers and northern parts of our bay had me longing for a way to explore this warmer water back country. Another used canoe entered my life. A fourteen-foot Kevlar Solo Canoe that weighed only forty-five pounds was purchased. My travels soon connected me with several fly club members who introduced me to Kayak fishing. They showed me how to get in and out of a kayak in the water as well as the many ways to maneuver the vessel. We put two rubber paddle snaps on my gunnels to hold my paddle when not in use. Instead of a canoe paddle, I can use a kayak paddle to maneuver the canoe. I now own a canoe and kayak, but I will devote this article to the canoe. It was natural for me to choose a canoe because I spent many hours fly fishing from one in freshwater. Frequently it was used to get me to a place to fish. Once there, I would get out and wade. The canoe serves as a natural reservoir for the fly line. This is one of its biggest advantages. If all of your casts are relatively short, which is often the case; line management is less of a problem. The light weight allows me to easily put it on the roof of my vehicle for transporting to my launching site. My flats boat takes me to areas where I find many places to use my canoe. Some adventurous fishermen transport their paddlecraft with a larger boat and then leave their boat to pursue shallow water. Most places where the canoe is used are too shallow or narrow for any other larger craft. One of my favorite mangrove lined waterways is usually fished taking advantage of the tide. I go up river as the tide comes in and back downriver as it goes out. While there, I have maximum water available to ply the mangrove shorelines, as well as enough water to enter the many dark bottom bays that have warmer water holding cooperative snook. Fingers of land, often harboring oyster bars, reach out into the main stream and create ambush points for snook and reds. Undercut banks are definite fish holding areas that should be explored with your flies. Horizontal casting with tight loops will allow you to tuck your fly into many productive areas. If the water gets too shallow, use wading booties and attach the canoe to your waist or anchor it. Many of these creek-like areas will fish best on an outgoing tide in the afternoon. This way, the water will have an opportunity to warm considerably from the sun s rays. A couple of stable weather days between cold fronts should make conditions ideal. Equipment requirements vary with the length of the trip. A clear waterproof dry bag is used to hold camera, sunscreen, personal items, and clothing. A collapsible anchor and line, small cooler, and a wading pack that caries my fishing needs, are all that is needed besides my paddle and life jacket. Two fly rods usually are carried and secured to the gunnels with thin Velcro straps. If you only have one, a floating weight forward line is my first choice. With two rods, one will have a sinking tip. Shorter rods are most useful because accuracy and maneuverability are needed more than distance. I carry a seven and an eight weight that are eight and one half feet long. Leader for the floating line is usually seven and one half feet with a thirty-pound fluorocarbon shock tippet. Since the sink tip is clear, four or five feet of leader is fine. Spare leaders, tippet material, pliers, and flies are in the chest pack, which is attached to the canoe yoke when not worn wading. Flies will be the same favorites you carry when fishing open water. The water here is very clear so I favor smaller patterns. Crab and shrimp imitations as well as some clousers, deceivers, and poppers will complete the selection. Think of the many places you ve seen in your travels where a canoe or kayak will get you into some virgin water. If you haven t tried paddle fishing with your fly rod, you re missing a lot of fun, as well as exercise and great scenery. Do it once and I guarantee you will come back for more. Capt. Pat Damico, MCI St. Pete Beach

8 8 FLY OF THE MONTH MGM (My Glass Minnow) As Tied by Layne Smitty Smith Fishing Report and Forecast What a great time to go fishing! FEBRUARY 2012 Materials: Hook: Mustad 3407 #2 (or similar) Thread:.006 mono thread Body & wing: Polar Fibre, three layers (your choice of colors) Lateral line: Holographic tinsel or Flashabou Head: 1/8 Corsair or E-Z Body tubing cut to ¾ long Eyes: 1/8 molded eyes Overcoating: Softex or epoxy Prepare tubing before tying fly by heating one end then pressing it end-side down against a cold surface (such as the base of your vise) melding the end to keep it from fraying. One end ONLY. Tying procedure: 1. Attach mono thread to hook and run a base from the eye to the hook bend. Whip finish or half-hitch at bend to keep mono in place. Tie in 1st color of Polar Fibre at bend (after you pull out the under fur). Apply a drop of Locktite (glue) or super glue. * Tie in a smaller batch of 2nd color (about 1/3 amount of the 1st batch). Make sure you wrap thread back to original tie-in point. Repeat with 3rd color as wing. Tie in holographic flash on each side as lateral line. Whip finish and cut thread. ** Slide tubing onto fly melded end first, re-tie thread and tie down loose end of tubing behind eye. Apply eyes with Locktite adhesive (I use Locktite gel for this application). Overcoat front of fly with Softex or epoxy, just enough to go past the eyes (I just dip it in the Softex then clean off excess from hook eye). If you use Softex, after ir dries, apply a coast of Sally Hansen or your favorite head cement. It will bring luster to the eyes. * Tying tip #1: As you tie in the Polar Fibre, lift up on material when wrapping thread back to tie in point. This will keep the material on top of the hook; it will also stack the following bunches on top of each other for a neater fly. ** Tying tip #2: To eliminate step #5, slide body tubing over the tip of your bobbin (unmelded end first) before you begin to tie the fly. In this way, you don t have to cut the thread and re-tie. Just slide the tubing off the bobbin and onto the hook at step #6. Here I am finally. After having my and all contacts stolen,i am finally able to get back in boat. I understand that most of you do not have new address. You will see it at the end of report. my the my my First report comes from Rick and Nanette O Hara. While fishing in their favorite trout hole they managed to catch only 50 or 60. Isn t that a shame? Later they poled and found a good number of redfish but the glare kept them from seeing the fish in time to avoid spooking them. Robert Fischer has advised me that a lot of trout are at the mouth of Cockroach Bay and in upper Tampa Bay. A slow retrieve with a clouser with marabou or highly active materials will catch these trout. One out of 20 is keeper size. Neil Taylor, a kayak guide, reports that he and his clients are catching nice trout and redfish. Darker color clousers are the most productive. Capt Rick Grassett reports trout and redfish are being caught in Sarasota Bay using his Grassett Flats Minnow. Jeff Janecek fishing with friends on the flats near the Skyway Bridge caught flounder, trout, pompano, jack, pinfish and ladyfish on an incoming tide using a chartreuse clouser. On the fresh water side, Jeff Janecek and Nick Colantonio fished somewhere in New Port Richey and did very well on blue gills and Jeff even caught a double using a dropper. Tight lines Bob Gaulin Waspfly32@gmail.com

9 9 Member Benefits Our Corporate Sponsors TBFFC is famous for its value and focus on the sharing of information, experience, and craftsmanship with its members. As a TBFFC member you will enjoy many benefits free or at nominal cost, plus enriching experiences. These companies sponsored the Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club. Some are members of the club. We urge you to patronize them. Fly Fishing Guides 3-WAY CONSTRUCTION CO. Robert Fischer PO Box , Tampa, FL (813) AFISHIONADO GUIDE SERVICES., Capt. Wade Osborne, (813) , wwwafishionado.com ALLIGATOR BOB S Gourmet Alligator Meat Snacks (813) , Monthly Meetings with Famous Speakers Fly Fishing Outings Fishing Trips Sponsored by Members and the Club Group Clinics and Workshops Fly Tying Lessons One-On-One Fly Casting Lessons Shirts and Hats with club logo 80 Page Beginner s Basic Skills Instruction Manual Annual Banquet with International Speakers These boat Captains can take you to the best fishing spots Capt. Nick Angelo Capt. Sergio Antanes Capt. Pat Damico Capt. Bryon Chamberlin Capt. Joe Gonzales Capt. Rick Grassett Capt. Pete Greenan Capt. John Hand Capt. Wade Osborne Capt. Frank Rhodes Capt. Russ Shirley Capt. Keiland Smith ALLSTATE FINANCIAL SERVICES L.J. Cathlineau (813) AVANT GOLD JEWELERS, Jeff Abeles, North Dale Mabry, Suite 150, Tampa, FL 33618, (813) AWESOME FISHING ADVENTURES, Capt. Keiland Smith, (863) BARBED STEEL charters inc. Capt. Bryon Chamberlin (813) captbryon@yahoo.com.. (813) (813) (727) (813) (305) (941) (941) (239) (813) (863) (727) (863) member application Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club Your Name: Date: Mailing address: City: State: Zip: Hm. Phone: Wk. Phone: address: Type of Membership: Fly Casting Coaches Novice or advanced caster, one of the following coaches can assist you with your casting. Contact one convenient to your location to arrange a casting session. Dade City, Jeff Janecek South Tampa Steve Parker Brandon Neil Sperling North Tampa Jeff Abeles Robert Fischer Dan Lagace Bill Murdich Leigh West Saint Petersburg Capt. Pat Damico Polk County Capt. Frank Rhodes Bill JACKSON S SHOP FOR ADVENTURE, 9501 US 19 N. Pinellas Park FL 33782, (727) REDFISH LANDING GUIDE SERVICE Capt. John Hand (239) CAPT. RUSS SHIRLEY (727) CAPT. SERGIO ANTANES (813) CENTER FOR RADIATION ONCOLOGY, Kathryn Kapes, M.D., Jack Steel, M.D., Brandon, Plant City, Sun City Center, Tampa and Zephyrhills (813) COPY CONTROL MANAGEMENT, INC. Donnie Cayo, Jr Corporate Lake Dr. Tampa, FL (813) TAMPA BAY ON THE FLY Enver Hysni 4203 W. El Prado, Tampa (813) THE FLY GUY Capt. Pat Damico (727) SNOOK FIN-ADDICT GUIDE SERVICE, INC. Capt. Rick Grassett, (941) SWANN S FLY FISHING SHOP, Jim Swann, South 98 Bypass, Dade City, FL 33525, (352) WALLACE B. ANDERSON, Jr. ATTORNEY AT LAW, 220 N. West Shore Blvd, Suite 220, Tampa.( 813) wbataxlawyer@aol.com Please Check: One Year Five Year Please list names you wish to include in family membership Name: Rel: Name: Rel: Name: Rel: Annual Dues: $25.00 Individual Membership $35.00 Family Membership $95.00Corporate Single Membership (includes one membership and Ad Space) $ Corporate Double Membership (includes two memberships or family membership and Ad Space in Newsletter). Five Year Dues: $ Individual Membership $ Family Membership Please make check payable to: Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club C/o Rick Valeri, 1404 Oxfordshire Ct. Brandon, FL 33510

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